Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Elain-ee I have to be honest, this film is realistic but for all the wrong reasons. Yes, the music is fantastic; yes, the venues are authentic (or appear that way). But I have met and befriended about half a dozen DJs whose behaviour fell within the spectrum of Icka's selfish, arrogant, immature world-view and I can tell you that their behaviour did not lead to the simplistically realised 'happy ending' (such as it is) which is portrayed in Berlin Calling.The ending scenes in particular left me feeling that the makers of this movie actually believe in the same gloriously-decadent vision that they condemn Ickarus for having. They really seem to be saying that minimal techno is an end unto itself;that all the drug addiction and relationship failures that play a part in its production are just a means to an end, a drop in the ocean of 'immortality' that comes from having one's name etched on a piece of wax. Ickarus' family, best friends, lovers and admirers are all portrayed as mere accessories to his dream; willing slaves to his quest for fortune and fame. Berlin Calling would have been a much better film if its makers had dared to question the greed (both emotional and material) which bound to it in the first place.Near the end of the film, Icka's Dad blames his son's behaviour on the fall of the Berlin wall. Personally, I found this to be a lame attempt to tack some sort of logic onto the pointlessly infantile behaviour displayed by Ickarus - who for all the world comes across as a spoilt brat. If only there was some proper character development in this film - either in Icka or his supporting (and tellingly, largely-female) cast, then his selfish behaviour may have made sense. But as it is, you come away thinking, this is a guy with too much money and too little brains to appreciate it. In other words, he's about as political as a silk Gucci scarf!

mehmet_kurtkaya The movie is dynamic, full of emotions and wonderful electronic music. It is definitely not a movie about Berlin party scene, Berlin is the backdrop of the movie.Club scene is associated with drugs, but it is not a movie about drugs either. Yes the main character is a drug addict DJ who has mental issues but the movie is not Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, neither One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.The movie explores the life of an artist, his choices, his abysmal loneliness, creativity and above all his relations to other people.Even though there are some occasional character zigzags, the movie wanders in our emotions in a beautiful way.I have seen the movie during If Film Festival in Istanbul and regretted that I had missed the performance of DJ Paul Kalkbrenner ten days ago.

djpauze I was fortunate enough to view the screening of this movie in Toronto on September 7th. I too have to agree that this movie should have been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival.The movie portrays the life of techno dj as it really is including: gigs, relationships, record deals, touring and drug use. This is the closest you will get to real life. As one of the above users stated anyone who is from the Hardcore/Underground can tell you that this movie will bring quivers up your spine as to how real it portrays.From beginning to end this film is non stop action. An extremely talented cast mixed with a great direction and an incredible soundtrack made for probably of my favourite films related to e-music to date.

jagfx "Berlin Calling" is an ambitious film that looks into the dark side of the German electronic music but doesn't seem to know what to say about it. Director Hannes Stohr makes a wise move in casting real life electronic musician Paul Kalkbrenner in the lead role of (the overbearingly metaphorically named) DJ Ikarus.On the cusp of releasing his greatest record Ikarus succumbs to the effects of his longtime drug use and is admitted into a psych ward. From here, the film veers wildly in tone recalling the excesses of "Trainspotting" and the tension of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" without ever find a middleground. Subplots involving a teenage fan who works at the hospital; his on again/off again bisexual girlfriend and his dealer never really develop into anything substantial. Worse, Stohr doesn't seem to know what he wants to say about drug use. Is it necessary for creative artists? Is it an evil? Is it OK in small doses? He offers middling cases for each scenario but doesn't make any unique observations.That said, the music in the film is fantastic. Written by Kalkbrenner himself, it casts a great light on the contemporary German electronic scene and if there is any reason to see the film, it's for the music. He manages to make the subtle shifts in tone and mood accessible for even the casual music fan which is a feat in itself.